On Declaring Independence from Passivity

Free men turn everything into a battle of "freedom v. serfdom" and in 1776, relative comfort wasn't enough for those seeking to bring about the greatest freedom the world has ever known.

Over the years, I have tailored my in-person presentations to be as relevant as possible to the time of the discussion. Over the past eight months, I’ve been discussing the cycle of American history from 1770 to 1783, which spans the Boston Massacre to the Treaty of Paris, which formally ended the American Revolution and gave the colonists their long-sought recognition of independence by the British.

I have found that many Americans expect to snap their fingers and have the country humming along at full speed, with every citizen valuing freedom and liberty as much as Patrick Henry or Thomas Jefferson did in those days leading up to July 2, 1775, when the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration. That famous document we all know about wasn’t inked until two days later.

Think about all of the grievances free people have against government all over the world today. Our early freedom-loving ancestors threw a revolt in Boston Harbor over a tax on their breakfast drink of choice. Today, a third of your income or more goes to fund evil, illegality, unnecessary military expeditions, or wasteful spending at home and abroad. This government detains American citizens indefinitely without trial, uses its endless arms, like the IRS, to punish its political opposition, and erodes the concept of citizenship more and more every day with their reckless handling of our borders and immigration procedures.

Many of the key signers of the Declaration of Independence were a lot younger than most of you probably think they were. Many were in their thirties, some in their twenties. Had they lived today, they would have been able to say:

• Not me, I’m busy getting my certification for what I’ll be doing next. If this doesn’t go well, I’ll never do that, and then what?

• I just finished my MBA and Sally is about to have a baby.

• Those weekly meetings at the tavern sound like a good idea, but my men’s softball league is picking up, and we’ve got piano practice every Thursday. How about next year?

As I wrote two years ago in my geopolitical journal:

Independence Day inspires images of joyful celebration – watermelon, barbecue, beer, and fireworks, with participants often donning their favorite patriotic attire. Indeed, the founding of the world’s most prosperous Republic is a cause for celebration.  While ringing in another national birthday is generally a joyful endeavor, it was a solemn one 246 years ago.

The Continental Congress approved the Declaration on July 2, 1776.  Two days later, John Hancock, president of the Continental Congress and Charles Thomson, Congressional Secretary, signed the Declaration.  All but one of the remaining signatures were placed on August 2, 1776.  The act of signing the Declaration of Independence constituted treason against the crown.

This act was eerily somber.  Benjamin Franklin is credited with saying, “Surely we must all hang together, or surely, we will all hang separately.”  The attitude of Patrick Henry, who quipped in 1765, “If this be treason, let us make the most of it,” permeated the thoughts of those who answered the call to leadership.  Their words, and those of many others, demonstrate the grave seriousness of open rebellion against the world’s most powerful empire.

Our world today is full of opportunities to kick the proverbial can down the road and choose a path of passivity, especially if we are comfortable and have material wealth available.  Those climbing the corporate ladder today are often concerned about the direction of America, but not willing to engage out of fear for losing opportunity, although the future promises to hold less opportunity if current trends hold.

On December 16, 1773, revolutionaries in Boston threw a protest (later called the “Boston Tea Party”) over a tax on their breakfast drink of choice.  Today, Americans tolerate unconstitutional mandates that restrict freedoms and liberties, and bend the knee when threatened with negative press.  This nation would benefit from its young patriots going “all in” for the cause of liberty, speaking truth and lighting the “brushfires of freedom” that Sam Adams spoke so intently of.

The signers of the Declaration had much to lose.  The Republican Party has a chapter called “Young Republicans” that meets around the nation, which is generally comprised of members 40 years of age or younger.  Here are some of the most notable young people who stepped up to the plate and answered the question of “If Not You, Who?,” knowing that gallows were the penalty for signing the Declaration of Independence.

John Adams (40 years old at time of signing)

Carter Braxton (39)

Charles Carroll (38)

Samuel Chase (35)

George Clymer (37)

Elbridge Gerry (32)

John Hancock (40)

Thomas Heyward, Jr. (30)

William Hooper (34)

Francis Hopkinson (38)

Thomas Jefferson (33)

Thomas Lynch, Jr. (26)

Arthur Middleton (34)

Thomas Nelson, Jr. (37)

William Paca (35)

John Penn (36)

Benjamin Rush (30)

Edward Rutledge (26)

Thomas Stone (33)

George Walton (35)

James Wilson (33)

56 men signed the Declaration of Independence.  21 of them were 40 years of age or younger, selflessly pledging their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor for the advancement of human rights and liberties.

They lived good lives.  Many of them were self-made men, wealthy and comfortable.  They could not turn a blind eye to the trampling of liberties and grievances committed by the crown, and refused to live as serfs, even if they had comfortable lives.  We must possess the courage of these founding fathers if we are to turn the tide on global tyranny.  There is always something to lose with every risk taken, and that is the way it must be.

Nothing great in the entire sequence of human history has ever been accomplished without serious risk and chance of loss.  The young people of America must rise to the occasion and be willing to hang together.

-

We are now 248 years into this American Experiment, which began brewing years before the Declaration was formalized, and that years before it was recognized by the British. Many who mean well don’t understand the foundation of what it is that makes Americans free (that freedoms come from God). If they did, they would more effectively push back against those who wish to destroy their freedoms, and the freedoms of others. A proper understanding of our liberties would shift a conversation from “the police said we can’t have kids at the playground due to a virus” to a conversation centered around forcing the police to explain to everyone publicly why Americans aren’t allowed to accept their own risks and congregate as they please, where they please, so long as they aren’t directly infringing the liberties of another person.

If we think things are good enough, and that relative to other countries, we are fine, then we have cast our lot and we have engraved, in stone, our destinies until a future generation repents of our passivity. Knowledge is key to the spread of freedom, and the future maintenance thereof. Who knows how the last quarter of a millennium would have unfolded had America’s founders not taken that step into the unknown and turned away from relative prosperity and comfort?

Who knows where the next quarter millennium may turn if we freedom-loving Americans today insist on reforming our country, standing by our God-given rights, and being malleable enough to lay aside our 401ks, retirement plans, and safety nets? I once had a plan to climb my way through the corporate ladder, squeak out annual pay increases that failed to match inflation, and work myself to a stress-induced decline, and pushed those aside when I felt my skills would be used in greater service to reforming my country. There are those from my past who read every word I write, and hope I fail and fall flat on my face. It’s a risk I’m willing to take, because I understand that many are fueled by a hatred of self and project that on others, even though such a hatred consumes themselves, and not the object of that hatred.

Above all else, the founders pushed away this passivity and the dreams they held for themselves to take the requisite risk to establish something truly special. As long as we find comfort in the known and do not long for the unknown, we remain trapped in a cycle of serfdom.

No one is asking you to ride at midnight, or to infiltrate a garrison. Your task is to recognize your skillset, sharpen your knowledge, and convert people to the side of understanding why Americans must stand for liberty, or not stand at all, thereby relegating themselves to the dustbin of history.